As if I would ever poison someone.
Rufus’ face morphed into a look of pure astonishment as his gaze darted to the glass in his hands. Mallory grinned in response to Rufus’ reaction. The wizard actually blushed, barely hiding his smile.
“What in the hell is this?” he asked eagerly, turning his eyes to the bottle in Dean’s fist. “Sixty-two-year!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t know they made such a thing…” he took another sip, savoring it now.
I cleared my throat. “Thank Mallory. He doesn’t tell me where he keeps it.”
“I wouldn’t either!” the man smiled. Mallory grinned lightly, the sparks winking out from his lightning bolt to reveal a regular spear. He propped it up against the chair and leaned back, crossing his ankles. He wore tight, pressed slacks and a wool vest, a brilliant tie underneath. His neat, thick beard rested on the tie’s knot, and he looked fresh out of a GQ photo shoot. His Johnston Murphy shoes gleamed as I allowed the fire and lighting to return to normal. I unbuttoned my own coat as I leaned back, crossing my legs too.
“So, chimeras… bloodthirsty monsters. Trifecta of death. Head and body of a horned goat, chest of a lion, and venomous snake for a tail. When one creature dies, one of the others takes over. Stab the lion in the face, and the beast falls to all fours, thrashing at you like a carnivorous goat. The lion head breathes fire, snake spits venom,” I waved a hand, “a bunch of other nasty rumors, but I’ve never seen one. What about it? Is there one terrorizing my city?”
The man tightened his lips. “Not exactly.”
I frowned. “And why wouldn’t the Academy help you take out a chimera? I seem to remember them taking out nests of them throughout history. Quite ruthlessly, actually. This sounds right up their alley.”
The man responded with a pained look.
“Wait, are you asking me to help you protect one of these monsters?” I asked in disbelief. “No way. Those things are out of control. Untamable. You’re better off letting the Academy handle it. I’m definitely not in their good graces. I don’t need any other reasons for them to be gunning for me. The Grandmaster especially doesn’t need any other reasons to hate me.”
“She’s… just a kid.” Mallory looked as if one of his lightning spears had struck him in the nuts.
I sympathized with him.
I stared at Rufus. “Well, fuck me…” I finally answered, expelling a long breath. I couldn’t turn down a… “Wait, did you say, kid? As in, human?” I asked, frowning.
He nodded back, face pleading. “Yes, chimeras are weres, just like your dragons.”
I stared back, at a loss for words. “Great, you’re telling me you want me to protect a…” I almost couldn’t say it without shouting in disbelief, “were-chimera from… wait, who are we protecting this violent little child from again?”
He took a long drink. “Well, that’s where it gets complicated. We’ll be protecting her from the Academy.” He took another long drink, and I found myself doing the same as I began to ponder the horrible consequences this discussion would lead to.
But wait, there’s more…
“First, we’ll need to rescue her from the Beast Master.”
The glass shattered in my fist and Mallory jumped to his feet, spear suddenly in his fist again, crackling with power as he stared out the only window not obscured by a curtain, as if expecting an attack at any moment.
So, Mallory had heard of him too.
“The Beast Master is in St. Louis?” I stated, incredulous.
Rufus nodded back, face grave. “Yes.”
“Feck this, Master Temple,” Mallory muttered. “He’s bloody certifiable.”
I was nodding. “From what I’ve heard, that’s not giving him enough credit.” Dean delivered me another drink, using a wet rag to scoop up the larger pieces of glass. Blood liberally poured down my arm, staining my shirt, although the wound wasn’t life-threatening or anything.
Rufus cleared his throat and I glanced at him. “Need my help?” he offered cautiously, staring at my injured hand. I frowned down at it, considering his offer. Mallory growled warningly, but I nodded. Let the wizard feel a bit helpful, extend my trust. I had, after all, terrorized him up until this point.
It was a good thing Gunnar hadn’t been here. Or half the other guests at my table. They would all be prime candidates for the Beast Master. The monster collector.
Rufus cautiously approached, extending his scarred hands towards my palm. Mallory stepped closer in warning, his spear crackling with hunger. I waved him off, staring at Rufus, ready to kill him if he did anything untoward. Not that he could, really, thanks to the Guestright situation.
Not if he wanted to continue breathing.
Still…
Rufus was almost touching my hand when the door burst open in an explosion of splinters – one of the hinges flying into the room to strike a Guardian in the beak – as a huge white werewolf flew through the opening to strike Rufus in the chest, knocking him into a bookshelf. He struck with a solid thud, head smacking into the wood hard enough to instantly render him unconscious. Gunnar gripped the man’s throat between massive jaws, growling murderously. A small black werewolf padded into the room, yawning lazily as she assessed the scene. She trotted over to me, curling up at my feet and settling down contentedly. Raego strode in, swirling his drink in the glass as he nodded politely at Mallory. “Gentlemen.”
Tory walked in behind him, eyes a forest green as she studied each person with a calm, detached look on her face. The Reds entered behind her, in full dragon form, claws scratching the marble floor as they flanked her.
“So, who’s the new guy?” Alucard drawled, petting the dragon’s scaly neck to the right of Tory.
I rolled my eyes in frustration and concern for Rufus. “Thanks, guys, but we’re fine here. Although I think Gunnar just killed my guest.” Then the severity of those words hit me. Shit. A guest had been harmed in my home. Now that I probed deeper into my power, I noticed a huge vacuum that was suddenly inaccessible to me. Gunnar attacking Rufus had indirectly made me break Guestright. He and Ashley wore family runes on their wrist – to help them control their ability to shift at whim – so by extension, they were part of Chateau Falco, too.
Part of my family.
And Gunnar had broken a promise I had made to a guest.
I needed to fix this, promptly, without harming Rufus, and hopefully somehow earning his forgiveness for the misunderstanding.
Gunnar growled in response, carefully loosening his stranglehold on the unconscious wizard. Mallory looked pleased, grunting approval at the army that had saved me from being healed. “Little crowded in here. Why don’t we head to my office? I think we have something to talk about with the guest you guys almost killed.”
Gunnar stared back at me with his icy werewolf gaze, and I shivered. What was it that made his glare so intense lately? Was it an Alpha thing or was it merely because he only had one eye?
“Gunnar smelled your blood and took off like a Beagle,” Alucard offered, helpfully.
The werewolf growled in response, and Alucard grinned. I frowned at the vampire. “Shouldn’t you have been the first one to smell blood?”
Alucard’s smile disappeared in a blink, eyes growing distant, but he managed a shrug before silently exiting the room. Mallory picked up Rufus’ body. “I’ll take care o’ the wee lad. After ye, Master Temple.”
Everyone turned to me expectantly.
“Whoever knows where my Macallan is, go grab another bottle of it.” I counted the people around me, knowing they would all want drinks after hearing this. “Two bottles.” Then I left the room to head to my office. I needed to give everyone an update on the newest monster in town, one who was legendary for kidnapping monsters of all flavors. Monsters exactly like my friends.
And how we were going to go poke a stick in his eye to save an equally dangerous chimera.
From my good friends, the Academy, the strongest wizards on the block.
Chapter 7
I sat behind my desk, pondering my friends, and considering the reactions they were likely to have at Rufus’ request for our help. Death and Achilles sat near the fire, conversing lightly. Eae had taken Greta home after things went south, fearing for her safety.
Big chicken.
Dean stood unobtrusively near a bookshelf, awaiting any requests my guests may have had. He had told me that Midas and Tomas had also taken the hint that it was time to leave. Gunnar taking off like a rocket in the middle of dinner, right after I had gone to meet a guest, had soured the festive mood of our elaborate Friendsgiving dinner, and I could tell it annoyed Dean to have been so close to normalcy – only to have it dashed to pieces by an uninvited guest.
Mallory stood behind my desk, glaring at everything and nothing, like a bodyguard.
Which he was.
And he looked even less pleased whenever his gaze settled on Rufus. On the other hand, Dean did look somewhat pleased at how everyone at least had drinks in their hands, and that the Chateau was effectively entertaining guests again after such a long hibernation. Even if the mood had been muted. It was his livelihood as my Butler. And he took his responsibility very seriously. Seeing everyone content, he nodded at me. “I will leave you to your business, Master Temple. If anyone needs anything, I will be cleaning up with Miss Othello in the kitchen. Just use the intercom.” He pointed at the wall, and then left the room.
My palm throbbed lightly, but it wasn’t bothersome. It had already stopped bleeding, and was now crusting over. I would worry about it later.
The monsters sat before my desk, padded chairs pulled up to seat everyone comfortably. Ashley was still in wolf form, nestled up on the floor in front of Gunnar, who had shifted back to his human form. Raego stood off in the shadows beside Alucard, watching, not speaking. Every now and then, the Dragon King glanced at his watch, as if debating whether or not it was time to leave. Dean had mentioned something about him having business to attend to, but I hadn’t really been paying attention, other than the fact that he was going to make an appearance at the dinner.
Alucard simply looked bored, idly picking at his canines.
The Reds sat on either side of Tory, two judgmental teenage girls. Which was almost more intimidating than their dragon forms.
So, Rufus had awoken to find himself surrounded by my friends, a crew of monsters who had no mercy or sympathy on their faces. In fact, they had quite the opposite look.
“Why don’t we start from the beginning? My friends smelled blood and reacted understandably. Thank you for the quick response,” I nodded at my friends, “but he was under my protection as an honored guest.” I turned to Rufus. “My apologies for that. They meant only to protect me. They didn’t know you were a guest.”
Rufus nodded tightly, injury now healed thanks to Mallory using his mysterious powers to remove the large knot on the back of his head. It had taken some forceful conversation to get my bodyguard to obey my request. I wasn’t quite sure what Mallory was, and had been politely encouraged not to pry. So, I hadn’t. For the time being. But the day would soon come when I could no longer stand in ignorance. He had juice. And he worked for me as a bodyguard of sorts. I needed to know his story. Despite any agreements he had made with my father. “I think everyone needs to hear what you told me. Please.” I leaned back, motioning for him to proceed.
“Yes, well. There’s a truly vicious creature in town. One who kidnaps Freaks and uses them for his own purposes. He primarily focuses on children, likely finding it easier to control them, break them. But I’ve also heard it on good authority that he has no problem taking on full-grown Freaks.”
Gunnar frowned. “And what does he do with his victims? Murder? Ransom?”
Rufus frowned. “No. He kidnaps these children to use in his colosseum. A fighting arena. To the death. He sells… a form of entertainment to certain groups. They hire his menagerie of Freaks to battle each other to the death during certain rituals, celebrations, or feasts. He’s quite… sought out.”
Gunnar looked absolutely disgusted. “How many Freaks are we talking about?”
Rufus shrugged. “Two-dozen? More? Who knows? As many as he wants. He likes to collect different kinds of Freaks so that the fights are truly… memorable.” He rubbed his fingers, indicating money. “His M.O. is to abduct three Freaks in each city he visits. Leading up to his show. To replenish his… inventory.”
Gunnar was frowning, but Alucard beat him to it. “Wait, you’re trying to tell us that one man can control more than two-dozen Freaks? Simultaneously? That isn’t possible. They would team up and overwhelm him.”
Rufus smiled sadly. “That’s why he takes children. He… breaks them. Not their flavor of Freak, but the child itself…”
Tory gasped, instinctively reaching out for the two teenagers, the Reds, who sat on either side of her chair, clutching her knees. The girls looked scared, but I noticed a faint glint of defiance in their eyes. I spoke up, backing Rufus’ story before emotions ran wild. “I’ve heard of him before. He’s called the Beast Master, and just to be clear, it’s rumored – from reputable sources – that even if all his… pets were adults, he could control them just as easily. He simply chooses children so that he can raise them in the ring. A life of violence. Makes for better entertainment, and why he receives top dollar.” I let that sink in for a few moments. “So, for example, he could walk into this room and have you all eating out of the palm of his hand. Easily.” Sounds of protest erupted, but I ignored them, turning to Rufus with an arched brow. “Do I exaggerate?”
He shook his head. “Even the Justices stand wary of him.”
That shut everyone up.
Sure, we had nut-tapped the Academy Justices a few times and come out on top, but we still respected their ability. Hell, I had accidentally kidnapped their leader once, and I was still concerned about their impending retaliation. More so, now. To hear that even they feared the Beast Master put things into stark, crystal-clear perspective.
Tory spoke. “Okay, he’s in town, and he can control Freaks. What is your involvement in the matter?” she asked, tone serious, her old cop skills rising to the surface. Her eyes seemed to grow darker, a lush, deep green, and I felt a power begin to enshroud her. Which was not an old cop skill of hers, but an entirely new ability. An ability to persuade.
Rufus shook his head angrily, scooting his chair back from her. “What are you? Get out of my head!” He was breathing heavily, scowling at her. His glare shot my way. “Guestright, you say? Pah!”
Tory looked embarrassed. “Please. I’m sorry. I don’t quite know how to control myself yet. It’s an ability that I’m only just learning. Truly. I meant no harm. It just… happens sometimes. When I’m particularly emotional.” She shrugged sadly. “Kids. Maternal instincts…”
Rufus eyed her warily before grunting. “Just keep it to yourself,” he warned. She nodded, holding out her hands, placating. “They took a girl…”
“A Freak, you mean…” Alucard drawled, fingering his vampire canines as if digging for a piece of flesh stuck there from the last wizard he had eaten.
Rufus nodded. “Aye. But still a child.”
“Well, what is she? I’m dying to know,” his fangs glistened.
I’d had enough. The situation was bad enough without him snarking off. I had a real problem right now. My power was drastically affected by my accidental breach of Guestright. Rufus had been attacked. In my home. Despite our silent pact. I needed Rufus on my side, not alienated further.
“Seriously, Count Sparkula, no one thinks a vampire’s clever usage of the word dead is as funny as you seem to think. Especially not after what happened with you and Tory…” I added, growing impatient. I needed everyone to pay attention. Hearing that a child was involved had hit me deep in the core, and I had lost my usual sense of humor. Also, I needed to rectify the broken Guestright, and Alucard’s hostility was only making that harder, even if he had the best intentions. Simply put, Rufus was not one of u
s, and Alucard was reminding him of this. The problem was, Alucard wasn’t considering the full implications of what had already happened thanks to their intervention to save me upon sensing my blood.
Alucard huffed, scowling at me briefly. “Fine, Little Brother. I can see my rapier wit isn’t appreciated among Plebeians. I’m going to go get some sun,” he muttered under his breath. The Reds shot me withering glares, but I ignored them after months of practice. Teens. One could only hope to weather the storms of their wrath. Rationality was a concept that applied only to other creatures, not to the two who believed themselves to be the center of the universe.
Rufus looked entirely confused as the once-vampire stormed out. “I don’t get it. Was he joking about getting some sun? And why did he call you Little Brother? You’re no vampire, I can see that much.”
I sighed. “The name is a term of endearment. The rest is a long story. Our vampire friend made a poor choice, and, well, I’ll let him share with you if he wants to. Not my place to talk about it.”
His gaze tightened. “That won’t work. I’m asking for your help. I want to make sure I’m not asking for trouble instead. This child’s life is on the line. What does…” he managed not to laugh, “Sparkula have to do with Tory? Did she do something to him? Should I be concerned?”
Tory opened her mouth to answer, but I interrupted her. “I understand your position, Rufus, but that truly is not my place to talk about.”
Tory leaned forward. “It’s okay, Nate. Thanks to our battle with the Grimms, I now have a new ability to…” her voice trailed off as the answer dawned on her, thinking back on what she had done in recent events. “Well, tame beasts, among other things.” she answered, surprising herself at the revelation. I nodded thankfully at her. “Isn’t that coincidental?” she added thoughtfully, eyes distant.
Beast Master: A Novel in The Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Series (The Temple Chronicles Book 5) Page 4